


The Slow Lane

by Miss_Mabb



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Mild Cursing, One Shot, One Shot Collection, countryside
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 13:00:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8249990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Mabb/pseuds/Miss_Mabb
Summary: Dan Avidan leaves the big city to experience a new lifestyle in the tiny town of Berrybrook, VT. Game Grumps AU set in a rural countryside town.





	1. New Beginnings

The train chugged along steadily as it crossed the countryside. Inside, people chatted merrily about small things. A young man sat alone at his seat and watched as the scenery constructed and deconstructed itself before him. _Everything will be different._ The words echoed in his mind. He had almost drifted completely outside his body when a voice brought him back to reality. It was an attendant asking if he needed anything. The young man gathered himself and responded with a polite “no.” 

The train soon started to slow, and before long the train had reached its destination. It let out a puff of exhaust when it came to a stop that filled the platform air with a musk scent. The man made his way out to the station front to greet his new surroundings.  
_“Definitely not New Jersey,”_ He thought, surveying the fields and hills that were spread out like a quilt before him. He set his bag down to notice a familiar face striding towards him.

“Dan! Good to see you!” The man approaching him had light brown hair parted to one side, and wore a collared shirt and khakis. Dan smiled when he recognized him.

“You too, Brian,” he responded. Brian offered Dan a friendly hug and then offered to take his bag for him. The two then made their way towards Brian’s pickup in the lot. Brian stowed Dan’s suitcase in the bed, and the two headed out.

“I know you just got here, but what do you think of Berrybrook so far?”

“Well, you have a nice train station.” Brian laughed.

“Well wait till you see the rest of it. It really is a nice little town.”

“It’s like you said before I left, everything’s very different.”

“Well, that’s bound to happen when you move out of the big city.”

“Yeah…” Dan stared out the window absently.

“You don’t sound convinced.” Brian slipped his sunglasses on to avoid the blinding rays of the sunset.

“Can’t say I’m sure about all this yet.”

“That’s understandable. You’ve got plenty of time to decide.” 

“You’re right.” There was silence for a while, then Brian began pointing out the various places as they drove through the main town.

“That there’s the diner… and over there’s the auto shop. That’s where my friend I was telling you about works. Across the street from there is the hardware shop…” Dan watched as the signs rolled past. He was listening, but only halfway.

“Oh! Here’s the general store, on the left. And Ross and Holly live out that way, I’ll introduce you guys sometime.”

It took about forty-five minutes to get from the train station to the Wechts’ summer house. When the duo arrived, Brian’s wife and daughter were there to greet them. Brian gave them each a kiss on the cheek, and Dan offered a hug and then squatted down to greet the toddler.

“How’s it going Audrey?” The six year old darted to hide behind her mother’s legs, leaving Dan a bit saddened. Brian laughed.

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t hate you. She asks about you constantly when you’re not around.”

Rachel led the three inside, where she had dinner waiting on the table.

“Wow, look at this! You didn’t have to do all this, Rachel,” Dan said.

“Oh it’s really no trouble, anything for a friend.”

“Well it looks delicious, let’s dig in!”

Over dinner there was more discussion about Dan and Berrybrook. Dan told Rachel that he thought it was a very nice town, before Brian interjected that Dan was still having second thoughts. Dan responded by saying he still wants to wait and see how it goes. Rachel agreed that that was the best idea. 

“If you say you want change in your life, the only way to really get it is to just put yourself out there.”  
That was the end of the conversation, as a battle had just broken out between Audrey and her green beans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ready for a proper tour?” Brian and Dan stepped into the truck.

“You bet! Where to?’ Dan was feeling much more energized after a hearty meal and a good night’s rest..

“We’re going to the auto shop. I wanna introduce you to my friend.”  
Dan stepped out onto the pavement, and the first thing he noticed was a mildly worn-out sign with big, painted letters spelling out **“ARIN & JON’S.”** Dan recognized the name Arin as the friend of Brian’s he was being introduced to. As to who ‘Jon’ was he had no idea. 

Inside the shop’s garage muffled cursing could be heard. Brian knocked thrice on the metal door and from under a car, out rolled a fellow who Dan could only assume must be ‘Arin.’ He was nothing like Dan thought he would be. He was about the same height as Dan, but where Dan was lanky Arin was stout. He had long hair that was slightly greasy and tied back in a ponytail. He wore work clothes that were covered in dirt and oil stains. Overall, Dan was slightly overwhelmed by this man’s persona.

“Brian, good to see you! And you must be Dan.” Arin held out his hand, which Dan accepted politely.

“Brian’s told me a lot about you, It’s great to meet you in person.”

“Same here,” Dan responded. Although he suspected Arin knew slightly more about him than the other way around. 

“Hey, what do you know about cars?” Dan was surprised by Arin’s sudden question.

“Well, my Dad taught me some stuff when I was younger, and I know how to fix an engine.”

“Great! How would you feel about working here?” Arin had a huge grin on his face, and Dan just became even more confused.

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“Wow, getting straight to the point as always, Arin,” Brian interjected

“ ‘Course I’m serious. You just moved out here, so you’ll need some work right?”

Dan was absolutely speechless. Here was a man he just met, like five minutes ago, offering him a job. _Even the people are different here."_ Dan thought to himself. _How is it everyone’s so nice to each other?_ Dan then realized he’d just been standing there, totally flabbergasted.

“Oh! Um, if you’re sure, that would be awesome, actually.”

“Great! Why don’t you leave me a phone number, and we can talk numbers later.”

“Oh! Sure yeah, just a sec.” Dan scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Arin. “There you go, oh man this is just- I mean- Holy shit dude!” Arin chuckled.

The three chatted for a little while longer, before Dan and Brian went to go finish their tour. The duo waved goodbye, and Dan and Brian settled back into their seats. Dan smiled to himself.

_You know, this whole thing might just turn out alright._

END CHAPTER ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***A/N Well! That was very fun to write. I think I’m going to format this thing as kind of a compilation of one-shots all set in the same universe. I hope to explore all the grumps’ backstories (Not just Dan’s.) It’s possible the next chapter will continue from this point, but most likely there will be a small plot jump where it’s assumed that everything ran smoothly and there were no big events. See you soon!***


	2. Out of Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Arin deal with a very puzzling case at the Auto Shop.

The first few weeks of Dan’s new job went off without a hitch. Dan had already learned a lot more about cars through working with Arin than he had ever known before. Most of their clients were simple tune-ups. However, today was different. Dan and Arin stood face-to-face with the most puzzling case they’d seen before. 

Farmer Ross had brought in an old FarmAll Tractor that looked like it hadn’t seen wear in a long time. Ross told Arin that he tried to get her started up the other day, but no matter what he tried nothing had worked. Despite having lived in Berrybrook for just under a month now, this was only Dan’s third time meeting Ross O’Donovan. The first time was again, in the auto shop. Ross had brought in his car for a regular check-up, and Arin introduced Dan to him. The second time was at the grocery store, where they ran into each other. Ross remarked that he was “Arin’s new partner at the shop,” and reintroduced himself. The third time was when he had to help Dan and Arin push the tractor up the driveway and into the garage.

Needless to say, the tractor wasn’t starting. Arin opened up the engine to take a peek, and the duo stood over it, looking very confused indeed. 

“I don’t see anything too odd about it.” remarked Dan.

“Same here, you’d think with the way it’d been acting there’d be a serious problem with the engine, but it looks totally unharmed…” Arin thought for a moment, then grabbed his tool set and started to fiddle around.

“Got an idea?” Dan wasn’t sure he knew what the problem was exactly, but he trusted Arin with this kind of stuff.

“Nope,” Arin responded curtly. “I’m hoping it’ll come to me when I get a closer look.”

Dan chuckled. He moved to the other side of the tractor and began working as well. After fiddling for a few minutes, he came across something especially… _bizarre._

“Hey Arin, might wanna take a look at this.”

What he showed him was a few wires that looked as if they had been deliberately cut, and a few others that looked like they had been… _chewed through…_

“Well, what do we have here?” Arin remarked; and as if on cue, a fuzzy head popped out of a hole, jumped between Dan and Arin, and scurried to hide underneath a desk, puffy tail following behind.

“Talk about timing,” said Dan.

“Aaand on the subject of timing…” Arin pointed out the garage window, where a person was biking up the driveway and barely bothered to prop their vehicle up before storming into the waiting room. A few seconds later, a muffled shout could be heard through the wall.

“ROSS!” A woman shouted

“What’s wrong?” He replied, his voice a mix of terror and confusion.

“Where is Mr. Squeakers!” 

“Mr Who?”

“Mr- Oh nevermind. What did you do with that old truck?”

Dan shuffled to Arins side and whispered to him.

“ _Uh… Who’s that?_ ’

“Oh, that’s Holly, Ross’s wife,” Arin responded nonchalantly. Arin asked Dan to go catch that squirrel under a box, and after a few tries he managed it. He then went to knock on the waiting room door.

“Hey Ross, we found out what was up with your tractor.” It was Holly who opened the door.  
Arin simple gestured to Dan with the box, who Holly immediately ran to. She lifted up the box and swept the squirrel into her arms. Oddly enough, it seemed completely comfortable around her. Arin was just finishing showing Ross the chewed-up wires.

“It seems we figured out the problem. We can have it fixed within the week.” Ross thanked Arin and shook his hand. Holly shuffled timidly to his side, the squirrel still in her arms.

“Sorry I yelled at you…” She looked down at her feet like a shy schoolgirl. Ross simply giggled and gave her a quick hug.

“No harm done, you were just worried. Next time though just ask me if you need a pet house, I’m happy to build you one.” He gave her a small kiss and a faint blush arose on Holly’s cheeks.

“ _Awwwwww_ ” Arin doted. “So cute!” That time both of them blushed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The sun was just about setting, and Dan was almost done closing up shop. It was his turn to mop the garage; his least favorite task, but it had to be done. He had just finished when he stepped outside to feel the evening air. The smell of paint stung his nostrils. He looked over and noticed Arin, hard at work on what appeared to be the shop’s sign. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Arin had painted over **“JON’S”** and was making it so the sign now read, **“ARIN & DAN’S.”**

Arin pretended not to notice Dan’s presence. Dan just smiled.

 

END CHAPTER TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm obviously making some canon alterations here. Most notably, Arin and Dan are much closer in age. It wouldn't really make sense if Dan was college age and the 8 year gap still existed between them in this situation. Also, of course I don't know what chores Dan likes or dislikes, unless they talk about it on grumps, I'm going to take creative liberty with stuff like that. (Although I suppose that doesn't need to be said.) Anyways, hope this is still being enjoyed. I'll see you all with the next chapter!
> 
> -Mab


	3. Sunday Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Kevin around on his weekly paper run.

Sunday Mornings

 

In the tiny town of Berrybrook there were few things more peaceful than Sunday mornings. As the sun crept up and the birds began to sing, half the town slumbered lazily, whilst the other half rose to greet the day. Kevin Abernathy, a high-school junior was one of those early-risers. Since he was a kid, Kevin had been spending the summers in Berrybrook with his grandma. He hardly remembered a time when he hadn’t. The past couple years, he decided to take up a part-time job delivering newspapers.

  


To be honest, It was probably his favorite part of the week. The whir of his bike pedals over the dirt road, the brisk wind that blew up the dust, the sheer serenity surrounding the countryside; it was the perfect time to just think and unwind. The High-School student started to pedal a bit harder as the terrain started to become steeper. At the top of the hill, he paused for just a moment, to take in the view. The village spread out before him in a sleepy haze, store lights not yet on and not a car on the road.

  


Kevin took a breath and pushed off. He slowed himself at the bottom of the hill to begin his route. In the main village, he delivered to the Auto shop first. Dan was standing outside, sipping coffee. He gave a wave when Kevin tossed a paper his way, and Kevin waved and rang his bell in response. He delivered bundles to the Hardware store, Suzy’s Diner, the Pharmacy, and the Post Office.

  


On a whim, Kevin thought he’d take the back roads to reach the second half of his route. The decision was a good one, because it let him witness a mother rabbit and her kits crossing the road. At the end of his detour, he came out right by Ross and Holly’s farm. Holly was sitting out on the porch, drinking tea and watching the birds at her feeder. She smiled and shouted a quick hello. Ross was out in the fields driving his tractor, he waved at Kevin and honked the horn, Kevin rang his bell a couple times in response.

  


Along the way he passed the Dairy farm, co-owned by Matt, Ryan, and Jack; as well as the Wechts’ summer house, where piano music could be heard coming from. Kevin’s final stop, and the one he looked forward to the most, was the old general store. This time, instead of just tossing the paper at the doorstep, Kevin parked his bike and opened the door, issuing a quiet chime of the bell. At the sound of the door, Vernon, the storekeeper, raised his head and offered a smile. Kevin handed him the paper and as thanks, Vernon tossed him a Snickers bar. The two sat together for a few minutes to chat, talking about their weeks and various goings-on about town. Over the past several summers a strong friendship had formed between the two.

  


Kevin said a final thanks and goodbye as he shut the door behind him. Setting off on his bicycle once again, he smiled to himself.

  


Yeah, Sunday mornings are definitely the best part of the week.

 

END CHAPTER THREE  
**************************************************************************************************  
A/N~ Sorry for the short chapter! School is catching up with me. I wanted to see how a chapter would feel without dialogue . (Def challenging to write!) Lmk what you guys think of stuff.  
**Music I was listening to while I wrote this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtuPnIwCHG8 **  
-Mab


	4. Apple Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fall has set in in Berrybrook, and there's no better way to welcome Autumn than with fresh apple pie. (With a bonus Thanksgiving drabble at the end!)

It was another average day at the shop. Dan was just finishing up an oil change and took a moment to wipe his brow. Despite the weather growing colder, the garage remained balmy from the work and the engines. Dan had learned to keep a wet washcloth near at hand over the months.

 

“Oh Dan, that reminds me. Have you gotten to try Suzy’s apple pie yet?” Arin slid out from underneath an old pickup, inquiring to his friend. Dan had heard the legends of the famed pie; mainly from Ross and Barry, who were firm believers in the pastry’s magical cure-all properties.

 

“Actually, not yet. I’ve stopped by the diner a couple times this week after work, but she’s always sold out by then.”

 

“Oh dude! We have to get you one! They are literally the best. Did you know Suzy gets up at like, four in the morning to make those? Like, the only people I know who get up that early are Matt and Ryan; and they have to like, milk cows and shit.” Arin’s enthusiastic response surprised Dan a bit, he really did need to try that pie sometime.

 

“That good huh?” 

 

“Dude, you have no idea.” 

 

***************************************************************************************************

 

It just so happened that Dan had skipped lunch that day, so images of pie were haunting his every thought. Arin heard his stomach growl a couple of times and chuckled. When it felt like Dan was about to fall faint of starvation, a cheerful _ching-ching_ of a bell could be heard from outside. The door to the garage opened, and in walked Suzy, cheerful as ever.

 

She was still wearing her work apron, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. In the crook of her arm she held a covered wicker basket. As to what was in the basket, Dan had no idea. All he knew was that it smelled _heavenly_ , a pleasant contrast to the usual aura of oil and gasoline. (Although, to be honest, Dan had grown quite used to, and even rather enjoyed the smell nowadays.) 

 

Arin came up to greet her, and offered her a quick peck on the cheek and a hug. Suzy smiled and handed him the basket.

 

“This is for the you two, I brought it up from the diner. I had a little free time and figured you boys would probably be hungry. It’s fresh from the oven.” Suzy smiled, and Arin gave her another kiss.

 

“Thanks Darling, this is great!” As always, Arin’s boundless enthusiasm made Dan smile. He walked up to his coworker who held the basket and the two of them carefully unwrapped the contents. Inside was none other than a fresh-baked apple pie; and in that moment Dan could have sworn Suzy was an angel sent from heaven. 

 

After a hard day’s work, the three of them had little trouble consuming the entire thing.  
********************************************************************************************************  
BONUS! Thanksgiving!  
It was a town tradition in Berrybrook to hold the annual Thanksgiving gathering at Ross and Holly’s. Indeed, they were well suited for it, for they had transformed the barn into a gathering hall fit for a party. String lights adorned the rafters, and within the barn three enormous tables were set and ready to be feasted upon.

 

As a matter of fact, this was Dan’s first time ever being at the O’Donovan/Conrad house. He came along with Arin and Suzy (who brought food-a-plenty, and of course, several apple pies.) Holly had taken the opportunity to show Dan around, and was excitedly displaying the loft and its abundance of pigeons. After the house tour she showed him the barn. Dan commented how un-barnlike it smelled. Holly laughed and responded, “Why do you think we hold it here and not at the dairy farm?” 

 

“Woah, look at all that food! Did you guys make this all yourselves?” Dan had just noticed the wide spread of thanksgiving dishes.

 

“That’s all her, I’m rubbish at cooking,” Ross remarked from the side. “Oh, and it’s all vegetarian too, and really good too! You know, I never liked vegetables until I met Holly. But they’re actually quite tasty when done well, and Holly’s a great cook.”

 

“I believe it! This all looks wonderful!” Dan’s stomach growled a bit in anticipation

 

“Aw thanks, and don’t worry! There’s more food to come. Everyone always brings something.” Holly was smiling at the compliment, and led the two back to where Arin and Suzy were.

 

Guests continued to arrive and the festivities went long into the night. Matt and Ryan showed up, along with Jack and Vernon. Barry from the hardware store across the street was there. It seemed like the whole town was together that night. Dan realized how at home he felt, how this sense of togetherness warmed his heart. Back in New Jersey, he never would have had such gatherings. It was like the whole town of Berrybrook was one big happy family, and he was finally starting to feel a part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! Spend time with your friends and family if you can :)  
> -Mab


	5. Let's go, Sports Fans!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan despairs over the lack of football fans in Berrybrook.

It was the first time in a while that Dan had questioned his move out to the countryside. To be perfectly honest though, the warning signs were all there. Maybe Dan should have noticed that Arin’s small talk always stayed within the realm of the village. Or, that Ross made a wrinkly-face whenever he mentioned the latest NFL news. Indeed, Dan had finally come to the realization that none of his friends knew the first thing about football, or any sport for that matter.

It was after the Giants had made it to the playoffs, for the first time in a while, that he came up with the idea to hold a game day party. Of course, when he brought this idea up with Arin, it didn’t go over so well. He watched as Arin seemed to withdraw within himself for a moment, waging a mental war with himself as his eyes shifted back and forth. He looked back up at Dan, eyes pleading for forgiveness. “Dan, I’d be happy to go to your party, but you ought to know I really don’t care much for football. At all, really,” the tone of embarrassment confirmed his statement.

Dan wasn’t about to force his friend to go to a party he wouldn’t have fun at, however his spirits continued to sink lower as he met similar rejections from each of his other friends. He realized now, that he really did live out in the middle of nowhere, and the entertainment drought was as strong as ever. However much he detested the city with its lack of compassion and putrid, unbreathable air; he did miss the sports bars. It wasn’t until later in the week when he saw the first spark of hope.

Usually, it was Arin who made supply runs; however today, It was Dan’s turn. Arin was rather preoccupied with a particularly puzzling case, so Dan figured he’d help out and buy some parts for a change. As luck would have it, the hardware store was directly across the street from the shop, and the two businesses had been partners for many years. Armed with his wallet in his pocket and his beanie around his head, Dan set out. 

If you were to ask anyone in Berrybrook, they would all agree that the hardware store is one of the rare places where reality is a bit altered. Upon walking through the sliding glass doors one is instantly bombarded with the subtle aromas of sawdust, fertilizer, and cat piss. A rather unpleasant combination, needless to say, but there was something nostalgic about it as well (which seemed especially odd to Dan, who could not determine a reason why.) However it was probably the owner of the store that was the most surreal part of it all.

Yes, Barry Kramer was probably the last person you’d expect to find there. A gentle, well-groomed fellow he was; and he had this air about him that suggested your visit was the most curious thing that had happened all day. (The store was often quiet, so it probably was.) Despite the fact that seemed so out of place in the rugged setting, no one in the town could remember a time when the Kramers didn’t run the hardware store. It was always him, and before him his father, and probably someday his son would take over the shop.

Mr. Kramer though, was a kindred spirit to Dan. Practically the only other Jew in Berrybrook, as well as a former city-boy, the two found good conversation between them. To Dan’s delight, at the cash register the first thing Barry mentioned was Dan’s New York Giants beanie. “Oh, you a Giants fan too?” Dan inquired, the bubble of hope in his chest growing with every passing moment. “Yeah man, I love the Giants,” replied the clerk.

Fireworks. No, a whole fucking parade was promenading inside Dan. Finally, he had located the one other sports fan in the whole county. Dan knew he couldn’t be alone, and he was ecstatic to finally be in the presence of someone he could discuss stats and the like with. Words could not describe the joy felt at this moment, try as our author might.

At last, Dan could hold his game-day party. Sure, it was just the two of them, and yes, the Giants unfortunately did lose. But when all's said and done, it was fate that brought these friends together through their common love of football; and that’s something that’s much more precious than super bowl wins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noooo the Giants are out of the playoffs :( But oh well, what can you do...   
> I was gonna write a holiday chapter but I just didn't have the inspiration. Sorry.  
> Anyways, if anyone's still reading this train wreck, thank you. I appreciate it. Sometime soon I want to start going through and revising the chapters into something I feel a bit better about.  
> See ya around :)
> 
> Mab


End file.
